Electioneering is never an easy task but candidates in western Madhya Pradesh's Khargone region find it all the more difficult with the sun beaming at its fullest over the area, considered to be among the hottest places in the world.
According to data provided by different websites related to weather forecast, the maximum temperature in Khargone has even touched 47.5 degree Celsius lately.
Talking to PTI, a government official here said, the district administration has instructed the government workers not to work between 12 pm to 3 pm and the citizens have been advised not to engage activities requiring intense labour and avoid getting out in the sun during these peak hours.
The Khargone parliamentary seat has seven candidates who are braving the scorching heat, canvassing for their parties despite the extreme weather conditions in the area.
They arrange meetings, gatherings and rallies during the afternoon in the constituency where BJP's Gajendra Singh Patel and Congress's Govind Mujalde are key contestants.
According to the party workers, the candidates usually undertake door-to-door canvassing between 8 am to 10 pm in order to reach out to the maximum number of villages and towns possible.
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This reserved parliamentary seat covers a total area of 13,457 sq km which includes many village settlements in secluded hill areas making it difficult for the parties to reach out the voters and with the restricted time limits because of the harsh sun and loo in the region, the campaigning has become more challenging.
A close aide of a candidate said the candidates in the electoral fray drink a lot of water from time to time to stay hydrated. They also consuming fruit juices, buttermilk and cold drinks to keep themselves energetic during dawn to dusk meetings.
Khargone, with nearly 18.34 lakh voters, will go to polls in the seventh and the last phase on May 19.